What is of immediate alarm is the number of midfield stars out R8 (GAJ, Pendles, Swan, Beams, Cotchin, Deledio, Selwood, Dangerfield).

However, due to the fact that what looks to be the trickiest round is first up (rather than R13 which was the last of the 2013 byes), we can target a few of these guys as some of our upgrade targets and bring them into our sides R9 bye-free. There’s always a silver lining.

Firstly, I think that it can actually be beneficial to have more tough opponents in the H&A schedule. If you want to be the best, then you have to beat the best and the more ‘finals like intensity’ games that you play throughout the course of the season, the better.

Secondly, we travel an equal low five times next year including winnable games against GWS, Brisbane and Port.

From a SC point of view, my back, forward and ruck plans look fine, my midfield… Not so much.

If Beams gets any sort of discount then I think that he will be a must have and, along with Ablett and Pendlebury as premiums and Jack Martin as a rookie, I’ll probably be full of R8 bye players meaning that Selwood and Cotchin will have to be upgrades.

I’d mentioned earlier that I was considering planning for a 4-6 premium-rookie structure in the guts and this may push me further this way.

Complete my starting premiums (Ablett, Pendles, Beams) with one of Watson, Jack, JPK, or possibly M Murphy, and beef up around the field a bit.

It could potentially be a bit of a points hit up until the byes, but if the cash cows are picked correctly, then I could look at bringing in Selwood and Cotchin in round 9 and then two of the aforementioned quartet after their byes.

With respect to your first sentence DC, I think you should be happy that your team is actually in the draw and able to earn premiership points after being found guilty of actively delivering performance enhancing drugs to your players.

From a SC perspective though, your insight is as usual very impressive!

Don’t forget Deano, a recent independant report states that up to 12 clubs have / had a supplement program similar to Essendon’s. Yet the AFL have refused to investigate further. While not a fan of Essendon or their supplement program, you have to agree they’ve been singled out here like ‘the black sheep’.

Unfortunately, I still believe that, despite what the commentary may be saying, at least some chunk of 2014 for the Essendon Football Club will be taken up with preoccupation as to whether our full squad will still be able to play at the end of the year. Regardless of the outcome, I think that shadow is still squarely hanging over the players, the club and therefore supporters like myself.

It will soon be an interesting time when I decide whether I will renew my membership for next year.

It is not that I’ve lost faith in the club, because I think do believe that a few elements were able to allow the club to conduct unsavoury (at best) activities, but I do still believe in the club as a whole.

For me, it’s simply an issue of, if a substantial number of infraction notices are served, I’m not sure I could be bothered watching what was left with effectively nothing on the line.

I wish I felt like we were at the end, but still dark days ahead, I fear.

Motts: We haven't done one for awhile, brewer, but we promise to get our acts together by the end of the preseason to give you our thoughts on the best picks at each position for your team.

brewer7: New to the site so apologies if this has been asked before, but are the podcasts still going??

jayden: I've got a odd request but a fun one
One of the hardest parts of supercoach I find is making a team name was wondering if we could have an article for cool creative team names lol

jayden: Now that we have seen mottsy side are we gonna get a look at the great one"MJ" side

marcus: Back again!! Hahaha just made my side...don't really know about rookies so just guessing pretty much. When are the LoEC/SCT leagues getting up and going again? And could we get some sort of pre rookie thread to see who will have the most chance to play consistently